Barring a setback, St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson will play

Sunday
By Bill Coats
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Cagey Jim Haslett wasn’t tipping his hand, even after running back Steven Jackson finished three straight days of practice by taking the majority of the snaps with the first team Friday. “I thought he did OK. I’ll have to see how he feels,” Haslett said. “I thought he got better as the week went on. I’ll talk to him and we’ll make a decision by the game.”

Jackson, who has been hampered by a strained thigh muscle, was listed as “questionable” on the final injury report of the week, which under NFL guidelines means his chances of playing Sunday against the Dolphins are 50-50. But here’s the real poop:

Unless Jackson suffers an unexpected setback between now and the noon kickoff at the Dome, he’ll be uniform — and probably in the starting lineup — for just the second time in six weeks.

“Having Steven back, with his running style and how vicious and powerful he is as a runner, hopefully we can get some holes opened up for him and run the football effectively,” wideout Torry Holt said. “If we can do that, it just allows everybody else’s game to be easier, especially (quarterback) Marc (Bulger). We want to run the ball well these last five games to keep him fresh, keep him healthy and let his confidence continue to build.”

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Notes & quotes:

*Dolphins LB Joey Porter has 14.5 sacks, just a half-sack behind league leader DeMarcus Ware of Dallas. How will the Rams keep Porter in check? “Hopefully he ate a lot of (Thanksgiving) turkey and that’ll kind of slow him down,” Holt quipped.

*”Mr. Irrelevant” David Vobora will start at middle linebacker in place of Will Witherspoon, who has injuries to both shoulders. Vobora was the last pick in April’s draft, thus earning the “Mr. Irrelevant” moniker. “I’m excited for David,” Haslett said. “He’s a pretty smart kid, pretty instinctive. So, we’ll get a good look at him.”

*Haslett was 0-1 vs. Miami as head coach of the New Orleans Saints.

*Holt has caught a pass in 148 consecutive games, the fourth-longest streak among active NFL players and 11th-longest in league history. Holt has had at least one reception in every game of his 10-year career.